Morals are other-worldly, in the sense they are given to us by God. There is an innate sense—again, given by God at birth—of right and wrong built within each person. Some socialist societies have argued against this, saying our morals are a product of the church. If that were the case, why do we see similar boundaries popping up across national, political, religious and even generational timelines? For example, everyone agrees that murder, stealing, lying and cheating are wrong. Morals define the boundaries of each of these (some say abortion is murder, others disagree), but without morals, all of these would be free game. Can you imagine a world like that?
Eroding morals mean we see an increasing number of people questioning our basic boundaries. The family is a perfect example. 100 years ago, a small minority of people would have questioned the two basic genders, whether marriage is limited to a man and a woman, whether a child can be adopted by a pedophile, the fact that adultery is when a spouse cheats with another person outside the marriage, etc. The people who pushed these boundaries were ostracized and criticized. Sure, some of those critics were outlandish (misogynists, KKK, polygamists), but most of the objectors were good, moral people. Today, the number of people who agree with these outlandish things are still in the minority (albeit a growing one), but the majority of critics is strangely silent. For some reason, people are afraid to say there are only two genders, marriage can only be between a man and a woman, of course it is stupid to allow a registered sex offender to adopt a child (this just happened in Pennsylvania), and adultery is never okay. Why are we afraid to say these things out loud? Because our morals individually and as a culture are eroding. Why does this matter to the average Joe or the normal Jones’s? Because we live and die in the culture we create. Right now, the legacy our culture is leaving for the next generation is incredibly destructive. We are promoting a no-values existence where almost anything goes and the fewer the boundaries, the better. “You don’t want to get married? That’s fine! Just sleep with whomever you want and we’ll deal
with the consequences later.” “You don’t want to live? No worries! There are plenty of legal suicide laws that will help you take your life.” “You don’t want to be a boy anymore? No problem. There are plenty of medicines and even surgeries available to help you be whoever or whatever you want to be.” Never mind the growing list of people who seriously regret having had these surgeries and taken these pills. Never mind the countless stories of people dying just because they are tired of living. Never mind the middle agers who lived this life and regret almost all of it. Moral-less living matters most to the average Joe, because it is this guy and this gal who are figuring life out right now. And if we can’t get it right, it’s only going to get worse for the next generation.
What must be done? Morals must be communicated and values must be lived out. If our kids don’t start hearing what’s wrong AND what’s right, they will follow the path of the culture. It’s so important for them to know why something is wrong. It’s even more important for our next generation to know why something is right and how to live it out. They need to hear this and see this in us.
Do you agree that our culture is disintegrating morally? Do you see the effects of low morals in the way the culture presents itself in: music, art, theatre, movies, videos and social media? Do you hear your kids and grandkids talking about topics that are strangely morally empty, such as: boys winning girls sports events, the defunding of our police and anti-life movements? Again, if you hear and see these things, don’t just say, “That’s bad!” and then walk off. Explain to your kids why it’s wrong for boys to act like girls and tell them why it’s good for them to know why God made them like He did. Don’t just say, “The police are good!” and walk off. Explain to them why we need people to police our moral boundaries. Explain what a society without rules can look like. Let them wrestle with the good and the bad. Let them see the right and the wrong.
Whether you like it or not, we have been called by God to shepherd the lives of the next generation. If we walk away from that role, someone else will step in. We, most likely, will not agree with their motives or boundaries. The ball is in your court right now. What’s your next move going to be?